A waste of 90 minutes of my life

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This is a film that I'd been wanting to see for quite some time, yet was made difficult by the fact that it has never gotten a release outside of VHS and Laserdsic. And when I did come across it on these formats from time to time, they were always too expensive for me to spend on a blind buy not knowing if the film was really any good or not. But I do have to admit, that RCA VHS was always so attractive to me, so I always kept an eye out for it hoping I could come across one fairly cheap. And I eventually did.While this wasn't as "awesome" as I was hoping for, it was still a very good thriller. There are things that work, and there are things that don't. Thankfully, the things that do work, work extremely well and make up for some of what the film lacks. Mainly what it lacks is substance. There were long stretches of time where nothing very interesting happened, yet it wasn't altogether boring either, if that makes sense. What does work in it's favor is the strong cast, Lustig's excellent visuals and a fantastic ending.Starting with the cast, while I've always found Rip Torn to be just a flat-out odd actor, he comes across even more so in here where he tries to pull off an Italian gangster. And I'm aware of Jan Michael Vincent's reputation and substance abuse as much as the next guy, but considering Lustig had to shoot most of his scenes solo because he was just so out of it most of the time, I honestly couldn't tell. He seemed coherent enough, and I never once noticed he rarely ever shared the same shot with other actors. The guy who really steals the show in here though is Lance Henrikesen. While he seems to be one of the busiest actors in history, knocking out half a dozen films or shows a year, he always finds time to really go nuts with a character from time to time and in here, he gives us one of his most memorable, insane and most entertaining villains I've ever seen from him. Seriously. This movie is worth the watch just to see Lance play insane over the top psychotic hit man alone. Truth be told, it's Lance who ends up saving this film, making it a much better film overall than had someone else played the main bad guy role.The action and stuntwork will definitely be a highlight for anyone who watches this, because it's what ultimately drives the film. There are some nice sequences scattered throughout the film, but sadly, not as much as you would like. However, once the film hits it's third and final act, Hit List kicks into high gear delivering some outstanding action, stuntwork and car chases. I won't spoil it for you, except to say it's awesome and worth the investment.William Lustig has not made a lot of films as a director, though he is a highly prolific producer. Of all the films he's made, he'll most likely be remembered as the director of such cult classics as the Maniac Cop trilogy, Vigilante and Maniac. I personally find him a highly underrated filmmaker. He has a very specific style when it comes to making films, a very gritty, yet stylized approach that give all of his films a very Lustig quality. I had always hoped he would direct more, or use his specific talents in the action/thriller genre, but it just seems that those weren't in the cards. I am glad that he did ultimately give us a handful of gems though. I just wish there were more.

This hide and seek drama between the police with mob witnesses and the mob hit men who want to kill them, is played for maximum excitement and maximum stunt work in "Hit List". Even though Jan-Michael Vincent and Leo Rossi have top billing, it is Lance Henriksen and Charles Napier who carry the film. Rip Torn is the mob boss who sends an unhinged Henriksen after F.B.I. witness, Rossi. When the hit goes wrong and Vincent's son is kidnapped, all hell breaks loose. Seeing Lance Henriksen selling womens shoes is worth the ticket price by itself. Throw in some intense action, while throwing out most logic, and you pretty much have the idea. .................................. - MERK

Hit List is an action film that has enough suspense and predictability to keep you on the edge of your seat and cheering at the same time. The story is about a mistaken identity murder and kidnapping that turns Jan-Michael Vincent from caring father, to an unstoppable killing machine. Like all action movies, there are points that are totally ridiculous, but the movie as a whole was adventurous and fun. Action film fanatics are sure to enjoy.

"Hit List" is a perfectly acceptable little actioner. Anyone who has seen a fair amount of action pics will agree that the quality of this movie is average, and not nearly as low as it often gets in this genre. An extremely untalented lead is a major disappointment here, but the good supporting roles (particularly a colorful Torn, who seems to slightly imitate De Niro's version of Al Capone from "The Untouchables") make up for that. The script is ordinary, and gets far-fetched at the end, but the slick production values keep the film watchable.